Gun Test
BLINKING GOOD!
ON TEST: BERETTA A400 XCEL SPORTING
Maybe it’s just snobbery that stops us taking up a gun that shoots as well as this Beretta A400 says Becky McKenzie
TECH SPEC
MAKE
Beretta
MODEL
A400 Xcel Sporting
BARRELS
Steelium, 28, 30 or 32 ins
CHAMBER
3ins
RIB
Raised ventilated on this model, others available
SAFETY
Non-auto, pushthrough type in trigger guard
STOCK
13¾ins on gun tested, with optional Kick-Off butt pad
WEIGHT
2.85kg
CHOKES
Optima HP type multichokes
RRP
From £1,745
WEB
www.gmk.co.uk
Semi-auto shotguns are not everyone’s taste. They clunk, they clang, and they eject the empty shells everywhere. On the plus side, however, they are really quite pointable and relatively easy to use – I even have one myself! Mine is an old Beretta Teknys Gold. I bought it a fair few years ago to shoot the semi-auto competitions which were originally held at West London. What fun these competitions are! John Dyson holds one every year. There are 120 targets, which can be report pairs with ‘full use of gun’ – which means that you load three shells, and can take two shots at the first target.
You have to remember that once you have fired your first shot, the ref will send the second target. If you decide to shoot twice at the first target, that second bird is already on its way, and will not be in the place you thought it would be. It’s easy to forget you have three shells, which causes much laughter as your friends will be howling at you: ‘You’ve got another shot!’
My old Teknys is 12 gauge with 28in barrels, with some added bling from Briley USA. It really is a case of Pimp My Gun – you can do things like changing the little bolt release button for a Briley one in a choice of colours, and there are Briley bolt handles, barrel weights and more.